I’ve been working on finishing off my NMEA 2000 network for the last year or two, and one of the pieces I wanted to have in it was something that could slurp up all of the data on the network and make it available via TCP to other devices.  I had initially decided that I would have to use something like an ActiSense NGT-1 and a Linux system to do this myself, but then I saw posts on Panbo about the Chetco SeaSmart.net gateways.

A few weeks ago I finally got around to getting one, and have been pleasantly surprised.  There are still some rough edges that are being worked through, but overall the concept is a great one.  In the picture above you can see my iPhone connecting to the SeaSmart adapter and streaming NMEA 2000 PGN’s directly into iNavX.  I can do this while on board, or based on my router/firewall configuration, while I’m anywhere in the world if I just happen to want to check on what’s going on.  You can check out more on how to configure iNavX with SeaSmart here on iNavX’s site.

I’ve designed my N2K system to have a portion of the bus that is always on 24×7 for monitoring purposes.  My end goal is to have some of this equipment, perhaps the SeaSmart adapter, monitored and scripted in such a way that I get emails when certain things happen – bilge pump goes on, fire alarm fails, etc.

The unit itself is compact and well made, and includes an indicator light to let you know when it’s up and running and on your WiFi network, antenna, N2K connector (somewhat proprietary unfortunately) and a USB/Serial port for diagnostics and local use.  Configuration is documented on their website, and they have great support in their forums.

Once up and running, I can see various instruments, as you can see from the below, as well as charts.

Here’s an example of my iPad showing charts, including the plethora of AIS targets in the local area.

I’m using Navionics Gold charts with iNavX – I highly recommend purchasing the charts for iNavX instead of using the standard NOAA raster charts, as they require you change charts for clarity (just like flopping around paper charts) depending on the area you want to see.  Navionics Gold charts can be acquired through X-Traverse.

Below is the SeaSmart main web interface showing some info from my Maretron battery sensor. You’ll note there is still some adjustments to do to get everything happy. I don’t think I have that many amps heading out of my batteries – if I do I’m probably in trouble!

I will be posting more in the future about my plans to stream this data back to a central place and analyze it, as well as updates and changes to the system itself.  I also have an ActiSense NGT-1 connected to a Linux box that is streaming similar information, but that’s a post for another day…

This weekend I am replacing all three batteries on the boat as a result of damage from a crappy battery charger.  I’m taking the opportunity to replace all of the old battery wires, simplify things, and add some redundancy, which I’ll hopefully post about here later.  

In redesigning the battery wiring, I came across a really great product from BlueSea called the Terminal Fuse Block.  It comes in a single or double configuration, and mounts on the existing battery terminal, providing you with high current protection in limited space.

I don’t have a lot of space where my house bank is located, and this is an absolute life saver.

The whole assembly is very well made, as is usual with BlueSea, and fits right onto the existing battery terminal.  You can get marine rated battery fuses (MRBF) from 30-300 AMPs which simply drop onto the added studs, and are very easy to see – both the label and whether it’s been tripped.  As always, you should make sure you size your fuses and wire correctly for the application at hand.

The fuses have exposed conductors on the top and bottom that contact very well.  The whole thing is protected by a rubber cover.

This will allow me to have appropriate fusing and protection with a huge amount of space savings.

Yesterday I made a trip down to the sailboat to do a few things, and when I arrived, I noticed that I didn’t have any shore power.  Additionally, the main A/C breaker panel indicated a reverse polarity situation.  I immediately disconnected the A/C panel from shore power via the breaker, and went outside to the plug to see what had happened.

As you can see from the picture, it’s pretty clear why A/C power was interrupted.  After a bit of sleuthing, I determined that the socket that the shore power plug was connected into was full of water.  I believe the water caused a short which then resulted in what you see in the picture.

The main breaker in the boat did trip when this happened, so everything was safe, but it’s a bit strange it caused so much damage to the plug and socket.  It should have likely tripped earlier, so I’ll be thinking/investigating the current boat-side breaker to see if there’s a better solution.

The other worrisome situation was that my BlueSea VSM (used to monitor battery health, A/C power, and tank levels) was acting up.  It also reported low voltage conditions on one of my batteries, which only a few days before had reported healthy.  These were new in the last 2 years AGM batteries that should last a long time.

I decided to use the SmartPlug system when replacing my damaged plug and socket – specifically their 30 AMP solution that includes a new plug end and socket.

It took about an hour to install, which was mostly because my shore power cord is slightly bigger than normal, and getting the new plug on was an exercise in strength.  Once that was set, I had A/C power back and waited while the battery charger started bringing life back to the batteries.  Right around that time, the BlueSea VSM stopped displaying vital information and flashed on it’s screen:

No firmware image found.  Waiting for download.

So back to using the handheld meter to check on things.  The rest of the afternoon and evening the battery charger worked long and hard and had the batteries back to their normal selves late in the evening.  From other visual inspections of almost the entire A/C wiring (whew!) I did not see any other damage, and everything else on the battery side seems to be OK as well.

I contacted BlueSea on Sunday via email, and on Monday morning they returned the email saying they would be glad to ship out a replacement, and that this rarely happens, and they’d like to see the broken unit.  Very helpful and quick – I hope to have the new one very soon.

I had read a lot about the SmartPlug system, but never really thought there was anything that wrong with my current system that warranted the $200 price for the plug and socket.  I’m glad nothing was badly damaged, and can sleep soundly now that I’ve installed SmartPlug.  It’s a very well designed system, with little chance of a repeat of what happened.  Sealed in several ways, positive locking, and a lot more metal on metal contact, it’s well worth the investment, and I would suggest anyone upgrade immediately to prevent things like what happened to me.